Sandy, Utah and Hicksville, N.Y., are 3,500 kilometres apart, but on one night last April for Tim Parker, they could have been the same town.

Thick, heavy snow started drifting down at halftime of the Whitecaps’ game against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium, blanketing the field, the fans and the players, as RSL blanked the visitors 3-0.

“It was cold,” said the Caps centre back. “It was a really, really hard game to play in. I don’t think we even look back at it as a soccer match at this point. I remember when I was a kid (in Hicksville), we used to have to shovel the field in order to train, so I definitely have had my fair share in the snow.”

So, too, did manager Carl Robinson, whose recollection of the game was thus: “My feet were freezing.”

The temperature and weather will be polar opposites from the spring game when the two teams meet Saturday at B.C. Place, but the circumstances are similar. In April, the Caps were playing their third game in a week, were battling injuries, and had juggled the lineup after an international game against Tigres in Mexico.

This week, Vancouver is kicking off a three-games-in-seven days’ stretch, are battling injuries, have players returning from international duty (World Cup qualifying) and will be juggling the lineup to deal with the attrition the roster has endured.

September is shaping up to be a crucial month for the Caps’ playoff goals. They sit fourth in the Western conference with games in hand on every team but one. Vancouver (11W, 9L, 5D) is only four points behind Seattle (11-7-9) for the conference lead, but are also only three points up on RSL (10-13-5), who are below the playoff cutoff currently.

But the Caps’ advantage of having games in hand also means they now have to play six games before the end of the month, while dealing with the potential of fatigue with key players — Kendall Waston, Christian Bolaños, Stefan Marinović all played significant minutes for their countries last week — and injuries, like the season-ending knee injury to Matias Laba.

“It’s one thing after another. But that’s why I have a squad. I keep reiterating it’s about squad,” said Robinson. “The perfect example was Orlando two weeks ago, where I made eight changes, and people said I was crazy, or mad, or don’t know what I’m doing. No one gave us a chance, to go into an environment like that … and win the game.”

Added forward Brek Shea: “I think this is one of the deepest squads I’ve been on, with the amount of quality at different positions. We can put out a different team and get a result. It’s a team sport. The depth creates battles on the field for positions in a good way. And you want that. There’s three games this week and three games next week. I’m sure there’s going to be changes; people get tired, people get injured, you just have to be ready to take your opportunity.”

That fierce training field competition has been the hallmark of Robinson’s team since he took over from Martin Rennie in 2013.

“Four years ago, when I took the job … we used to look down the bench and think “who am I going to put on now?’ Now I’m having to leave players out of the 18 that probably deserve to play,” said Robinson. “I need competition for places. If you’re a player, and you can’t deal with competition, then you’re mentally weak. And if you’re mentally weak, I don’t want you. Because when we’re talking about big games, it’s about players, not coaches. If they win, it’s down to them. If they lose … it’s down to the managers.”